There's been a rush incidents where confidential information posted by people on Facebook groups has been shared with employees of schools and local authorities.

I'm not going to comment on the reasons for this; only the effects and how it can be avoided.

It has obviously caused a lot of difficulty for the people involved because no matter where you post stuff on Facebook, even if it is a private group, it can be shared (screenshots are so much easier to take than ever before.) It is also linked to your Facebook profile, meaning that you can be identified - as can your location and your children.

The anger that this has provoked is pretty spectacular. Some of the calmest and most controlled online people I know are spitting blood; I also know another smaller Facebook group that is hosting what can only be described as a war after someone took a screenshot of a Facebook post and shared it with a classroom teacher and now action is being taken by the school against the family.

How to avoid it:
1. Don't post anything on Facebook about school, EHCP, work with local authorities, medical matters, or even legal queries. Use Facebook for its intended purpose: social interaction;
2. Use an anonymous forum name here on ASDf. Don't post any identifying information. This is obviously impossible on Facebook, so don't use Facebook for SEN-related support;
3. The old (some might say ancient) rule here on ASDf still stands: As long as the school/LA/professionals concerned cannot be identified, you can say what you want. Keep it absolutely anonymous so nothing can be traced back to you.

The ASDf facebook page has always seemed a gentler and more reasonable place than some of the other facebook groups I'm in, probably because of the calming influence of our excellent admin. Deliberately betraying a confidence is a terrible thing to do, but I didn't see the original post or know why it was shared inappropriately (I am in one of the FB groups affected). Thank you for the reminder that the Internet is a shadowy place and discretion is wise, even when emotions ti high.